Graycor Industrial

Piping Workshops Held for Graycor Industrial Project Management

To stay ahead of the industrial process market’s ever-increasing quality demands, Graycor Industrial Constructors held its 2017 Quality Boot Camp during two workshops at a pipefitters training center to train key project managers, supervisors and engineers who work on its piping-related projects. Graycor’s Brian Boseo, director of quality, and Lori Kuiper, welding engineer, developed and organized the ‘Approach to Piping’ quality seminars held at the Local Union 597 Pipefitters Training Center in Mokena, Illinois.

Through classroom and hands-on learning, Graycor Industrial participants re-examined the basics of understanding and enforcing the company’s work processes, as well as discussed the latest welding techniques under way at its job sites. The covered topics included construction work packages, progress tracking, drawing types and use, purchasing, materials management, code versus non-code work scopes, testing plans and blind sizing, fast welding, fast non-destructive testing, and mechanical completion walk-down.

Performing piping work at petroleum refineries and chemical facilities requires contractors to conduct construction and piping work using the highest quality standards. For that reason, Graycor is among a select few that holds a unique combination of quality certifications. For nearly three decades, the company has maintained its American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) A, PP, S and U certificates of authorization and its National Board R certificate of authorization. In addition, Graycor is ISO 9001-registered and is a certified American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) steel erector.

“Our goal is to continue providing high-quality, specialized piping work while meeting the growing demands of shorter schedules and smaller budgets,” says Dan Kilgore, Graycor Industrial vice president, who spoke at the workshops. “Ensuring our work processes are being followed consistently by our leaders, managers and workers across all our projects is one step in helping us remain competitive,” he adds.

Other Graycor Industrial presenters included Tony Dinnocenzo, project manager, who lectured on mechanical materials management, and Lori Kuiper who gave insight on improving work process efficiencies and talked about utilizing the welding techniques such as flux cored arc welding (FCAW) on a past project and how Graycor can increase use on future projects.

Attendees moved throughout the center’s shop areas, observing an automated welding demonstration, participating in a pipe rack walk-down exercise and taking inventory during a materials management practice.

“I can’t stress enough the importance of our piping-related work processes such as work packages, documents and materials handling, walk-downs, and others,” says Brian, who led the pipe rack and materials handling exercises, emphasizing to participants, “Make sure you and the person assigned to the job know what you’re looking at.”

‘Approach to Piping’ is the latest in a series of quality workshops as part of Graycor Industrial’s Quality Training Program that provides interactive, participatory training for the company’s project management personnel. Past workshops have included Advanced Process Controls Welding and various quality-related boot camps.

“Our goal in this workshop is to give our project personnel a greater understanding of what our processes are and why they’re important to use every day on the job site,” says Brian. “I want to thank the Local 597 Pipefitters for opening its center to us and also thank our vendor representatives who shared their products and services that help us stay on the cutting edge.”

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Graycor Industrial Constructors Inc. is a leading provider of construction services to clients in the metals, power and process industries throughout North America. To learn more about Graycor Industrial Constructors, visit www.graycorindustrial.com.

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